I have read that the Germans used a low-flash propellant in their weapons,everything from small arms to tank rounds,while the U.S. used a higher flash propellant. Can anyone help me to verify this?
You probably cannot make such generalizations as the flash of the propellant used in each shell depending on its size and needed distance will be designed specifically with a flash power that that shell needs. Likewise if you are talking about muzzle flash that may vary on the type of weapon you select and the type of shell you select. I am speaking generally of American weapons and someone else may be better able to speak of the German weapons. In a given artillery shell of the American type there could be a combination of several powders within the charge in some cases. The art of it is to create a burn that produces maximum power producing speed of the bullet at a rate that reaches maximum before leaving the barrel but does not create too much pressure too fast that would blow the barrel up with too much pressure too soon. That is why one propellant would not be proper for many different sizes of bullets. Although rifles may use similar propellants they would not be proper perhaps in a cannon or large artillery. Pistols and rifles in most cases would not be using the same propellants.
There's a pretty good section on at least naval propellants here: Definitions and Information about Naval Guns - Part 2
I book marked that page....is a good reminder how varied charges in a shell can be.....which reminds me of the many times we discovered the deterioration of powders that have interesting by products......interesting because the ether can anesthesize you if you open multiple cannisters of powder in an environment where there is not good air circulation (like a bunker) or the tell tale liquid that indicates deterioration and the by product of nitro-glycerin that makes the shell likely to explode from a small amount of static electricity. In old ordinance of which we have a great deal in our bunkers and storage facilities these hazards are present. Not a lot of attention is devoted to making anyone aware of this unless you are involved in demilling ordinance.
